1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a blade computing system, and in particular, to a blade computing system for a blade server system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern communications and computing centers increasingly rely on large numbers of computer processors in order to perform many types of communication and computing operations. One increasingly popular and widespread type of computer platform is a blade server system. The blade server system can be connected to a plurality of communication links and therefore can perform many types of communications operations. A blade server system can include many processors, and therefore can perform a large number of processing operations.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art blade server. In the prior art, a blade server system typically comprises a chassis, a backplane inside the chassis, and a large number of blade servers that are connected to the backplane. Electrical power is transferred from the backplane to the blade server by a power cable. In addition, data is communicated between the backplane and the blade server by a data cable.
A prior art blade server system has drawbacks. A prior art blade server system typically uses a series of power and data transmission cables to connect to each blade component. These cables are expensive. A power cable typically costs fifteen to twenty-five dollars, while a data transmission cable typically costs seven to forty dollars.
It takes time to properly insert a blade into the chassis or to remove a blade from the chassis using such cables. The profusion of cables consumes chassis space and can be confusing. The cable connectors can fail during installation or removal operations. Pins can be damaged or bent during these operations. Broken pins in a blade chassis may actually ruin the chassis. The connectors tend to be bulky and require large amounts of space in the chassis. The prior art cables generate heat.